The current Fire Station No.1 located on Broadway will be torn down and plans call for that area to be made into an extended parking lot for the West Plains Civic Center, Fire Chief Tim Bean said.

Councilors Kim Rafferty, Sheila Tyson, and President Pro-Tempore Steven Hoyt all spoke out about the issue, saying that the stations should be at the top of the city's list of priorities.

Rafferty points to three places in particular: stations 21, 25, and 28. Those stations, she said, have seen severe roofing problems over the years, and are in dire need for repair.

Don Baker, President of the Birmingham Firefighters Local 117 said that he was one of the first firefighters that had to begin using plastic garbage bags to catch a yellow liquid that would come through the ceiling when it rained.

"We've got a sickness with our buildings," Baker said, "And it's almost to the point where they're not going to be recovered; they're in such disrepair. I can tell you, you're looking at the station behind me?" He pointed to Station 21. "You're looking at potential here. This is what's going to keep happening to fire stations, and that's dangerous for the city and the citizens of Birmingham. We've got a station [Kingston station 8] closed over there, and it prolongs the response time."

While Rafferty and Baker agree that the biggest priority for the buildings is roofing, they also both acknowledged that the problems didn't stop there.

Baker pointed out buckets and tarps in the photos that catch and redirect leaks. Ceiling tiles are crumbling away or are completely missing. Baker is concerned about the possibility for mold and the health of the firefighters that work-and live-inside the stations.

At Tuesday's council meeting, Mayor Bell told concerned council members that his office is planning to meet with architects–both on the Kingston Fire Station and for assessments of the other fire stations.